Pets, Emotional Support Animals, and Mental Illness Recovery

Pets and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are instrumental in the recovery of people with mental illnesses.

Of course, most people who read that are probably thinking, obviously, animals are wonderful fluffy balls of love, why wouldnt they help? And whats with this ESA craze anyway?

For the average person, seeing the lolling tongue of a dog or feeling the contented purr of a cat on their chest after a long day at work does wonders for raising spirits and calming moods. For people with mental illnesses, the presence of animals does the same thing.

In the case of the neurodivergent person, much more than just improving moods, having a pet can improve a persons functionality to a point of recovery. Owning a pet is sometimes deemed a therapeutic necessity, such as medication or talk-therapy, to be used in recovery. It is for this reason that some pets are elevated to the status of ESAs, because of their proven therapeutic value. ESAs are not service animals and are not allowed in public spaces such as stores or restaurants, though they do have some housing protections. For example, my ESA, a cat named Orion, was allowed to live in my college dorm room, where students could not have pets, because he helped me with my mental health issues. Orion, basically the love of my life thus far, is pictured on the left.

As for the utility of therapeutic animals, I truly think that Orion is one of the reasons that I am alive, just like many other pets and ESAs are the reasons that their humans have kept going. For the person with mental illnesses, animals provide more than joy and companionship, though those things are huge perks. They require you to improve yourself so that you can live up to their furry little expectations.

Animals require that you get up in the morning.

When youre depressed, anxious, bipolar (insert other mental illness here), sometimes, maybe even a lot of the time, you just dont want to get out of bed. You might not even want to eat. But you know who does want to eat? The fluffy white thing meowing in your ear. He does it nicely at first, but then he starts slithering down your comforter and biting your toes until you have no choice but to roll out of bed. You have to get up and feed him because hes not going to leave you alone until you do. Besides, you love him, and you want him to eat. And since youre cat-son has gotten you up anyway, you decide that you might as well make some food for yourself and have breakfast with the now contented cat.

Animals require at least some modicum of cleanliness.

When youre depressed, bipolar, borderline, insert here, you probably dont want to clean most of the time. Your bed probably has crumbs in it and who knows when the last time your floor saw a vacuum. But theres a litter box in the corner that starts to stink if you dont clean it for a day. And the little guy isnt happy if that happens, and even though you sometimes live in squalor, it doesnt mean that the fur-child that you love has to. So, you clean the litter box every day to keep him happy, and while youre at it, you decide that the bathroom might as well get a quick clean up.

Animals require money.

You cant help it. You love the little guy like your son. Eventually, you notice that when you go shopping, you buy more stuff for him than for you. He gets the best cat food, the best litter, and a new toy every time. You just got some mac n cheese, but hey, while youre out, you might as well get some other things on your list. The point is, you need money to keep him happy and well-taken care of, so you need a job. You also keep getting up to go to work every day so you can pay for him. You joke to your friends that you may not care if you live in a paper box, but you want him to have a nice little place with the best window in the neighborhood.

Animals require attention.

You can ignore the calls from your mother. You can ignore the messages from your friends. You can ignore the emails from your clients. But you cannot ignore the hugs against your legs from the fluffy little guy on the floor. You pick him up. Hug him. Thank him for loving you.

You love him, and because of that, he makes you take better care of yourself, him, and the space you inhabit.